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Biofortified
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- October 21, 2009
- 11:45 AM
- 1,063 views
Biofortified Lettuce not a Bitter Pill
by Karl Haro von Mogel in Biofortified
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body, and most of it is found in our bones and teeth. Without this element to form the hard structures of our bodies, life as we know it as mammals would be in peril. We need it for our nerves and muscles to function properly, too. Many people in the United States are deficient in calcium, upwards of 44%, and in the developing world, these numbers are sadly much, much higher. And as we age, we lose more and more calcium from our bones, leading to osteoporosis. Women are particularly at risk for this disease once they go through menopause.
What can we do? Pills don't work very well, many vegetables high in calcium don't let us absorb it well, and breeding for calcium content is complicated and uncertain. How about engineering your lettuce to express more of a calcium transporter protein to boost the levels of calcium?
OK so it works, but does the lettuce taste good?... Read more »
Park, S., Elless, M., Park, J., Jenkins, A., Lim, W., Chambers IV, E., & Hirschi, K. (2009) Sensory analysis of calcium-biofortified lettuce. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 7(1), 106-117. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7652.2008.00379.x
- July 3, 2009
- 01:00 PM
- 823 views
A New Twist on Transgenes and Allergies
by Karl Haro von Mogel in Biofortified
When you bring up GE crops to people, one of the common objections is “Can’t these GMOs cause allergies?” Sure it is possible, as with any plant genetic modification (including breeding), which is why GE crops are tested for allergenicity according to regulations.
But now, it seems, the opposite may be true. “Can’t we use GMOs to eliminate allergies?”
One Japanese researcher and his team are having some success with that possibility.... Read more »
Domon, E., Takagi, H., Hirose, S., Sugita, K., Kasahara, S., Ebinuma, H., & Takaiwa, F. (2009) 26-Week Oral Safety Study in Macaques for Transgenic Rice Containing Major Human T-Cell Epitope Peptides from Japanese Cedar Pollen Allergens. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 57(12), 5633-5638. DOI: 10.1021/jf900371u
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